Daddy, father, prophet

A witness on Tuesday testified that the late Pathways International Restoration Ministries’ Pastor Kevin Smith was so revered by his flock that some called him “Daddy”, while others addressed him as “Father”, “Dr Smith” or “Prophet of the Nation”.

The witness is the second to have taken the stand since last week in the Home Circuit Court trial of Andre Ruddock, who was said to have been Smith’s bodyguard.

Ruddock is being tried for murder in relation to the October 17, 2021 sacrificial-type killing of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner whose throat was cut at the church, allegedly on the instructions of Smith, after Gardner confirmed to the pastor that she believed he could bring her back to life. The witness claimed that Ruddock rushed to Gardner and carried out the pastor’s orders after another member of the church hesitated.